Funny Shoes

Gurcharan Mall

Gurcharan Mall is 58 years old but he looked much younger and fitter than that as he recently left the crowd at a wedding ceremony aghast, bewildered and amazed. His vivacious and cheering personality was infectious, and the crowd just got mesmerised by the dhol group. The beauty of GM was that despite a heavy schedule he always has the patience and time to talk to others, young or old. The dhol bhangra dance is a very lively and cultural traditional cultural folk dance and music from the Northern Indian fertile state of Panjab, The Land of Five Rivers and the Homeland of the Sikhs. He comes from Hakim Pur, a village near Bhanga, Dist. Jalandhar, Panjab.

He is truly, without a shadow of doubt, the first pioneer of making the Dhol popular around the world and he plays it adeptly not only with great finesse and perfection but with great passion.

He is popularly called "the King of Dhol" and also the Godfather of the world's Dhol players. He is the most loved, respected, adored and cherished of the world’s legendary players and has performed live in front of crowds, with great celebrities like Gurdas Maan, Kuldip Manak, Harbhajan Maan, Han Raj Hans, Surinda Shinda, Jamla Jatt and many more. He has been a special guest to the current monarchy, Queen Elizabeth 2.

As a young child, he was fascinated by rhythmic sounds and during his early childhood in the late 1950’s he assimilated all the cultural values and beliefs of the Panjabi society. In the early 1960’s, his family moved to the UK and he successfully adapted to the transition from rural Panjab to Westernised way of life whilst retaining the values, beliefs and culture which now gives him recognition as an outstanding personality. He is very articulate both in Punjabi and English and his communication skills are admirable as he talks with a perpetual smile on his face. He wins the heart of others by his humble demeanour and warm hugs.

He qualified as a Mechanical Engineer and studied Dholak during his spare time. He continued to develop his innate talents and developed his skills as both dholak and dhol musician. He is fastidious and constantly striving for perfection, which is evident in his performances. His unique style of dhol playing has won the hearts and mind of the entire generation of music lovers achieving global recognition. Although humble, his is a household name,nowadays. Recently, at a wedding, he was described as popular and his self-effacing and humble personality was admired by the crowd. Many took the opportunity to take photos with him and his radiating warmth brings others close to him and fans just love his dhol and his personality.

He has his own Dhol Academy where he teaches dhol and he is actively involved with several institutions and universities. This great dhol maestro was in the Biggest Show 2005, where over 200,000 were in the audience and over four million viewers watched him around the world playing on Live 8 with UB 40 at the famous Speakers Corner, Hyde Park, in London.


The beginning of an artist.

Gurcharan was from the very start influenced by the unique rhythms of Bhangra music. This music has its origins in the rural calendar of an agricultural society that always celebrates a successful harvest. The dance movements themselves are all associated with the movements of an agricultural worker going about his daily tasks. Even as a young child Gurcharan was fascinated by the rhythmic sounds and his earliest instrument was a "Peepa Can" that he played with a couple of sticks. His early childhood in the late 1950's ensured that he absorbed all the cultural values of an Indian nation with its multi-cultural values and religions.

As a teenager in a very close community, Gurcharan saw traditional Bhangra being performed by U.K. based groups and he began to attend rehearsals and learn the basic movements. At the same time he followed the bands like Anari Sangeet, Ashoka group, Also Chirag Pechan Who were developing the new Bhangra sound by introducing western instruments to the traditional music. Whilst he was attracted to the new form he decided that he would initially concentrate on learning all that he could about the traditional Bhangra music. He continued to develop his skills as both a Dancer and Dhol musician.

Always demanding perfection he realised that he needed to form his own team of Bhangra Dancers and he created the "Nachdey Hasdey Group". They quickly developed a reputation for excellence that won them many Awards. "The Punjab Group" was another Dance Group with whom he toured and performed with in many countries throughout the world. Gurcharan began to earn a reputation as a Teacher and this led to his involvement in many Dance Groups.

Not content with only developing Bhangra dancing Gurcharan began to be in demand to play both Dhol and Dholak in the newly emerging modern Bhangra Groups.


His first group was the "Nadaan Group" which featured many top Bhangra musicians. His next group was Taranga.

Then Apna Sangeet In which he was Dholak and the first Dhol player outside India to play with a singing group. and then came his big break in 1986, with the release of Apna Sangeets debut album ‘Apna Sangeet by Apna Sangeet’, he stamped his name on the Bhangra industry.

His unique style of Dhol playing won the hearts and minds of a whole generation of music lovers. He was the first Dhol player to combine dancing on stage whilst playing Dhol, and his performances blew peoples minds. He gave Apna Sangeet and its bludgeoning fan base over sixteen years of Dhol playing frenzy and helped them to achieve global recognition. Apna Sangeet Also used to be called The Big Drum Boys .

With his growing international reputation Gurcharan is the natural choice to accompany many of the International Stars who visit the U.K. from both the Bombay Film Industry and the Punjab. Gurcharan performed with the likes of Gurdas Maan, Jagmohan Kaur/ K.Deep, Jamla Jatt, Kuldip Manak, Hans Raj Hans, Harbhajan Maan, Sarbjit Cheema, Surinder Shinda, Jagga Jatt, alaap, heera, Malkit singh, Safri Boys ,DCS, Geet group many more.

Gurcharans originality, dedication and talent have made him a formidable force in the Asian music industry. He has created his own distinct identity and taken his place among the best Punjabi musical talent on earth.

In 1999 the Dhol Blasters took part in the first ever Dholathon and set a world record of 42hours non-stop Dhol playing and in 2001 they went on to break their own record and set a new one by playing no less than 53 hours non-stop, a record that remains today

Today Gurcharans Bhangra crusade continues. His performances had so much impact that they inspired people all over the country to take up the playing Dhol. So many people approached him for lessons that around fifteen years ago he created the first team of Dholis in the U.K. ‘The Dhol Blasters’.

In 2009 Gurcharan Mall aka The King of Dhol has drummed his way into the Guinness Book of World Records under the World 501 Dholi’s banner. A total of 632 Dhol players from all backgrounds smashed the previous world record by simultaneously playing the Dhol for for 12 minutes and 42 seconds on, Saturday 2nd May 2009.

Gurcharan was the man behind this amazing feast of live Dhol rhythms, staged at Centenary Square in Birmingham, UK. He wanted to show and involve all communities to experience how rich and strong his culture was, and came up with the idea of using the Dhol drum as the centre piece to both break a world record and raise money for charity at the same time.



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Gadgets Past & Present

Headphone Audio Listening

The Sony Walkman invented in 1979 was one of the must have gadgets of the 80's. By the 90's it was replaced by the CD Player. Now it is the ipod that is the latest gadget

Mobile Phone

The Bosch transportable phone was from the end of the 80’s and weighs 5.2 kg – 11.5 pounds (!) and has the following dimensions height: 26cm width: 23cm depth: 12cm. To the right is one of the smallest mobile phones of today – the Motorola RAZR V3 – weighing in at 95 grams (3.35 ounces).

Removeable Storage Device

Removable storage
In the 80’s the most popular removable storage media was the 5 1/4 inch floppy diskette, capable of storing 360 KB (later 1200 KB). Today you have the SD micro card, a 8gb micro is capable of storing 25,000 floppies

Who Has The Most Attractive Eyes

Bright Eyes, Sparkly Eyes.......Who's Got them



Zooey Deschanel
She is an American actress, musician, model, and singer-songwriter.




Kristin Kreuk
She’s has gorgeous eyes, and has starred in “Smallville” as Lana Lang






Aishwarya Rai
Famous Indian actress and beauty queen. She was chosen by Time magazine in 2004 as one of the World’s “100 Most Influential People”




Angelina Jolie

Famous for her role as Lara Croft






Gulabi Ankhen Jo Teri Dekhi

My Latest Bhangra Playlist

What Have I Been Listening To Over The Past month
It's a mixed mood list....the way i prefer to listen
Some nice danceable tracks a few sad ones balanced with some romantic songs, sharabi songs

Door Ni Kulne - Manni Sandhu
Kaun Nee Jandah - PBN & Daljit Mattu
Socha Vich - (Ik Kudi Punjab Di) Amrinder Gill
Maar Glassi - Offlicence
Number Plate - Tara Singh - Desi Crew (Solid ll)
Rabba - Shreya Ghoshal ( Sukhmani )
Sadde Pyaar De Purane Din Morh De Ve Rabba - Madan Maddi
Main Nee Peenda - Garry Sandhu
Ralh Mil Jashan Manaiye Dosto - Laddi Bath
Sanu Vi Nachke Dekhah - MC Special Ft.Jaswinder Daghamia
Dil Tenu Harya - Dhira Gill
Oh Yaar Nahi Hunde - K. S. Makhan
Pind Mittran De - En Karma [NOTORIOUS-DESI]
Goriye Ni Goriye - Surinder Kalakaar
Sohni Lagdi - sarbjeet cheema - Desi PLaYa
Mera Ki Haal {Meri Maa Nu Na Dasiyo } - Amrinder Gill - Slambassador
Nachda Rahu - Kaka Bhaniawala
Kala Chasma - De-C Amplified VoL-2
Neele Neele Note Neele Naino Waliye - Sona Singh

Hindu Gods

Lord Brahma: God of Creation
Lord Brahma is the first of the Hindu Trinity. He is the Creator. He is regarded as the Supreme being, the God of Gods. In the beginning Brahma was the Universe, he created Gods. After having created Gods, he placed them in these worlds eg: AGNI (Fire) in this world, Vayu (Air) in the atmosphere and Surya (Sun) in the sky. Brahma generated the Gods and the entire world. Within him is the Universe.













Lord Vishnu
The lord of peace and truth, Vishnu is the Preserver/Sustainer of life. His many avatars have been known to born on this earth to restore peace and order – the most popular incarnations are Rama and Krishna. That is why, in India, Rama and Krishna are the most worshipped entities, people are not worshipping multiple Gods, but different forms and expansions of the same God.
He is the second member of the Hindu Trinity.
The mantra of Lord Vishnu is "Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya". Any thing in the world is possible by worshipping lord Vishnu, who sustains the life in world. Enchanting this mantra saves a devotee from many troubles. It bestows the devotee with prosperity, peace, wealth etc.




Lord Shiva
He is the third member of the Hindu trinity. He is the God of Destruction. When the religiosity has fallen to such low standards in the world, that it is no longer worth living, He destroys it in order to enable a new creation filled with 'dharma'. He is also known as "Nataraj" - Lord of the Dance - who dances the world into and out of existence.
The mantra of Lord Shiva is "Om Namah Sivaya". Chant so that impurities, anxieties and doubts are destroyed. Lord Shiva bestows his blessings immediately on the devotee.






Lord Krishna
Krishna is the eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu and was born in the Dvarpara Yuga as the "dark one". Krishna is the embodiment of love and divine joy, that destroys all pain and sin. Krishna is the protector of sacred utterances and cows. Krishna is a trickster and lover, an instigator of all forms of knowledge and born to establish the religion of love.











Goddess Saraswati
Goddess Saraswati is the Goddess of Knowledge. She possesses the power of speech, wisdom and learning. She is the consort of Lord Brahma.
The mantra of Goddess Saraswati "Om Aim Saraswatyai Namah"













Goddess Lakshmi
She is the Goddess of all the wealth and Prosperity in the world. She is the wife of Lord Vishnu, mother of Kama.
The mantra of Goddess Lakshmi "Om Sri Maha Lakshmyai Namah"

Goddess Durga
Goddess Durga is the consort of Lord Shiva. Her other names are Parvati or Lalita. She exists in various divine - both friendly and fearful forms. Two of her very powerful forms are Durga - the Goddess beyond reach and Kali - the Goddess of destruction. She has a charming personality and is adored by married women for a happy married life.
"Om Sri Durgaya Namah" This mantra is of Goddess Durga the combined form of the powers of Lakshmi, Saraswati and kali. By enchanting this mantra all the physical, mental, economic problems are solved.







Lord Ganesh
Ganesha is the God of success and overcoming obstacles, but is also associated with wisdom, learning, prudence, and power. As the god of success, his names are chanted at the start of any important venture. As the remover of obstacles, he is invoked at the start of every journey, marriage, religious rite, house construction, the writing of a book or even a letter. In Hindu mythology Ganesha is identified as the son of Shiva and Parvati






Hanuman
Hanuman, whose image is in the form of a monkey, is particularly associated with the Ramayana, the story of Rama and Sita.
He is a symbol of strength and loyalty and represents the concept that animals are also a creation of God.

Did You Know - About India

Karate actually originated in India, but was developed further in China

No one has ever been able to domesticate the African Elephant. Only the Indian Elephant can be trained by man.

The Indian peacock (Pavo cristatus) is the National Bird of India.

Tamil is the oldest of all Indian languages and also the oldest living language in the world.

India accounts for upto 42% of the world's total cashew nut production and consume about one third of global consumption per annum.

In 1962, Air India became the world's first all-jet carrier when it replaced Super Constellation with a fleet of Boeing 707s.

42% of the world's poor live in India, That's over 450 million people living below the international poverty line of $1.25 a day, according to the World Bank.

India's Cherrapnuji is the wettest places on earth, receiving 425 inches of rain every year.

Balloon Costumes

Some amazing pictures of dresses made from balloons

INDIA Hosts The Commonwealth Games

A dazzling, colourful, high-octane opening ceremony that was part Bollywood, part cultural extravaganza, did much to dispel the nightmares of the past fortnight, thrilling a sell-out crowd in the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium as well as the athletes and officials from 71 Commonwealth nations.

It even managed to start on time, to the very second, proving there are some deadlines that Games organisers are capable of meeting.

It was a spectacular night of dance, music and pyrotechnics, rounded off by a performance of the Slumdog Millionaire song 'Jai Ho’ by Oscar-winning singer-composer A.R Rahman, the so-called “Mozart of Madras”.

It was a truly lavish production that set a new benchmark for Commonwealth Games opening ceremonies just as Beijing took the Olympic curtain-raiser to new heights two years ago.

Predictably, the biggest cheer came when the Indian team brought up the rear of the athletes’ parade, though there was also a warm reception for the English team suitably attired in Indian long shirts, or kurta. It was a nice gesture to the Indian hosts, but one that was also borne out of financial necessity. With no main sponsor to pay for expensive parade wear, the costumes were sourced locally in New Delhi by England chef de mission Craig Hunter at a knockdown price.

Minutes before the start of the ceremony, the stadium announcer read out a list of rules for spectators, including the stern warning: “Do not use unparliamentary language.” But the crowd was too high-spirited to engage in profanities, despite having to endure hour-long queues in 35C temperatures for bags to be searched and bodies to be patted down. A staggering 100,000 security personnel were on duty outside the stadium. So much for the Friendly Games.

Amid all the singing, drum-beating and gyrating by the thousands of performers, the Prince of Wales briefly held centre stage to declare: “I have much pleasure in declaring the XIXth Commonwealth Games open.” It was a sentence many feared they would not hear just a few weeks ago when several countries threatened to walk out over the “uninhabitable” accommodation. But they didn’t, and the Games have begun. What better reason for a boisterous, Indian party?

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PROUD TO BE AN INDIAN

Earth Like Planet Discovered

Astronomers have discovered a potentially habitable planet of similar size to Earth in orbit around a nearby star.

A team of planet hunters spotted the alien world circling a red dwarf star called Gliese 581, 20 light years away.

The planet is in the "Goldilocks zone" of space around a star where surface temperatures are neither too hot nor too cold for liquid water to form.

"Our findings offer a very compelling case for a potentially habitable planet," said Steven Vogt, an astronomer at the University of California, Santa Cruz. "The fact that we were able to detect this planet so quickly and so nearby tells us that planets like this must be really common."

If confirmed, the planet would be the most Earth-like that has ever been discovered in another solar system and the first strong contender for a habitable one.

More than 400 exoplanets have been discovered by astronomers, but most are gas giants, like Jupiter, that would be inhospitable to life as we know it.

Astronomers used the Keck telescope in Hawaii to study the movement of Gliese 581 in exquisite detail and from their observations inferred the presence of a number of orbiting planets. The team report two new planets in the Astrophysical Journal, bringing the total number known to be circling the star to six.

One of the planets, named Gliese 581g, has a mass of three to four times that of Earth and takes 37 days to orbit the star. Astronomers believe it is a rocky planet with enough gravity to retain an atmosphere.

Unlike the previously discovered planets, Gliese 581g lies squarely in the region of space were life can thrive. "We had planets on both sides of the habitable zone — one too hot and one too cold — and now we have one in the middle that's just right," Vogt said.

One side of the planet is always facing the star, much as one side of the moon constantly faces Earth. This means that the far side of the planet is constantly in darkness. The most habitable region of the planet would be the line between the light and dark regions.

"Any emerging life forms would have a wide range of stable climates to choose from and to evolve around, depending on their longitude," Vogt said.

The average temperature on the planet is estimated to be between -31 to -12C, but the ground temperature would vary from blazing hot on the bright side and freezing on the dark side.

"The number of systems with potentially habitable planets is probably on the order of 10 or 20 percent, and when you multiply that by the hundreds of billions of stars in the Milky Way, that's a large number. There could be tens of billions of these systems in our galaxy," said Vogt.

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Artist's impression of the inner four planets of the Gliese 581 system and their host star, a red dwarf only 20 light years from Earth. Image: Lynette Cook/NSF/AP

Neha Dalvi - Indian Model

Birth Name : Neha Dalvi
Birth Date : July 15th, 1988
Birth Location : Mumbai
Measurements : 34-24-34
Height : 173 m (5 ft 8 in)
Hair Color : Blonde and Brown
Eye Color : green and Sea blue

Neha Dalvi a new beauty face from Mumbai, India. she is ready to compete in “Miss India 2010” and “Miss World 2010“. She is compared with her beauty and attire with former Miss World Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Neha Dalvi has done many endorsements with a lot of brands. She has won several best female model awards in many colleges. She will be seen in forthcoming Bollywood Movies with big banners. Neha Dalvi is seen in the famous hoarding of Seasons Saree showroom which was a hit all over.

When she was a child she done ad's such as : vicks, dettol and now she is seen in the famous hoarding of seasons saree showroom which was a hit all over. She also did photo shoot for k-lounge and globas, and now her current ad on t.v is of ponds googly woogly woosh, soon she will be seen in miss india and miss world shortly and with this she will be seen in her two movies back to back with the bollywood big banner's.

Her hobbies includes listening music,dancing,lawn/deck tennis,reading books,watching horror movies,swimming and badminton.

info taken from http://worldofmissindia.blogspot.com